Broncos vs. Steelers Report Card

Broncos Update

10/24/2007

Check out how the Denver Broncos fared on their report card in the 31-28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

REPORT CARD VS. STEELERS

PASSING OFFENSE: B -- Jay Cutler had two bad mistakes, interceptions
where he admits he was fooled by the Steelers defense. But without top
receiver Javon Walker, Cutler threw three touchdowns and led the team
on a game-winning drive in the final 1:10. Cutler has shown the ability
to bounce back from mistakes to lead Denver to late victories. He made
some fantastic plays on third-down conversions, which were key to the
win.

RUSHING OFFENSE: C -- The Broncos couldn't move the ball much
against the Steelers, but that wasn't unexpected. Pittsburgh has a good front
seven and the Broncos ran to keep Pittsburgh honest. Travis Henry left
the game with bruised ribs after the third quarter, which didn't help.

PASS DEFENSE: B -- There were some low points, especially on the
many third downs Pittsburgh converted. Ben Roethlisberger had 290 yards
and four touchdowns, but what mattered most to the Broncos were three
first-half plays. Roethlisberger threw two interceptions and had a fumble
on a sack returned for a touchdown. That was the difference in the
game.

RUSH DEFENSE: B -- Denver made huge strides in this area.
Practically incapable of stopping the run the first five weeks, the Broncos
swarmed Willie Parker. He had a few good runs but didn't break 100 for the
game. The Broncos were more sound in their assignments than they had
been all season in assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates' new scheme.
They hope Sunday's performance was a sign they've turned the corner.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B -- Denver's special teams contributed to the win.
They didn't allow any long returns and hit hard on coverage. Todd Sauerbrun had a 64-yard punt in the fourth quarter. And Jason Elam nailed a
game-winning 49-yard field goal as time expired, the third time he has
won a game for the Broncos on the final play this year.

COACHING: A -- Denver had plenty of reasons to pack it in after
losing three in a row, including a 38-point loss to San Diego. The Broncos
had many key injuries and had a difficult matchup against a good
Steelers team. But Mike Shanahan kept the team confident, fixed some
problems, and had a good game plan, especially compared to Pittsburgh's strange
pass-happy approach against the 32nd-ranked run defense in the league.
At 3-3, the Broncos' outlook for the rest of the season doesn't seem
as dire.

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